


I Ship That

by InkuEko



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Feeling protective, Feelings, Fiction became reality, Fluff, Minor Quiproquo, One Day They'll Confess, Overthinking, Reverie, Romance, Spring Festival ar Fairy Tail's Guild -Slow Dance ahead, Swearing, The whole Guild is too invested, Threats of Violence, Trying to communicate their feelings but life's get in their way, mild jealousy, slow-burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-11 17:58:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18429200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkuEko/pseuds/InkuEko
Summary: A Repost from FFThere's a festival soon and Mira notices that Levy is daydreaming. Who is she thinking about ? Mira, fierce matchmaker, believes GaLe will soon blossom. However, Levy talks fondly of a mysterious man, too perfect to be true. Ready to move Heaven and Earth to have her way with the help of the guild, Mirajane set in motion a plan that involves a fed-up Iron Dragon Slayer.(Work in progress)





	1. Chapter 1

Spring was finally at sight. The sun was tickling the remaining amount of snow covering the streets in order to make it surrender to the warmth of the new season upcoming. The colours were back, blown by a warm wind. After a rough winter, Magnolia City was welcoming the birth of buds and the return of birds with the most cheerful way. Indeed, since Fairy Tail was hosting a Spring festival. They were quite famous (or rather infamous) for their unique yet fantastic parties.

However, the youth wasn't only looking forward the fair, the spectacles, the stands and the games. They were mostly looking forward (or, for some, fearing) the ball. Some were willing to take their courage and asked one of the contestants of Miss Fairy Tail. For sure, it was going to be quite interesting.

Especially, for a matchmaking demon like Mirajane. Ever since the Tenrou group has returned, she regretted that the ship Alzack/Biska had take place without her help. Even though, she was happy about it; she would have like to be part of the realization of their blossoming , she hadn't actually matched two people so they would date, she hadn't lost hope. The Spring Festival was a great opportunity to put in place plans and add some action in the guild. In other words, form a couple.

Being the bartender was awesome for that hobby of hers that consisted on collect information on others - not to say spy on them. She had seen quite some hints on various couples, but she couldn't decide which one she wanted to start with.

The doors opened loudly, letting in Levy and Elfman who had Oriental lanterns' duty. They probably had finish to put them around the guild and in the trees. They were having an animated conversation.

"Did you see that bird ? Its two-coloured plumage was stunning ! Have you ever seen such a incredible mix of blue and green ? What a beautiful bird, right ?" Levy exclaimed, all excited about their luck of seeing such a rare specimen.

"Yeah ! We were lucky ! Nothing less to expect from men like us !" Elfman approuved. "I preferred the green of my parakeet. It was darker and manlier !"

They both said a quick "Peace to its soul" after mentioning the passed-away parakeet that Elfman once called his best friend. Although, Levy nodded even if she wasn't sure which parakeet he was talking about since he found a new one after losing the first one.

"I'll look for its name and I'll tell you about it !" Levy promised, grinning.

"Awesome ! We should go on more birds explorations like we used to do."

"Ornithology." Levy corrected him. "Yeah, that would be great !"

"See ya later, Levy !" Elfman waved firmly.

He crashed into the fight between Gray and Natsu who were arguing about which one was better between ice sculptures and flaming sculptures –for some reason. However, their only task was to place the tables for the buffet...

All the male Fairies were now involved somehow in this big commotion. Levy went to the bar, in a light-hearted way that intrigued Mira. The other girls, oblivious to Mira's inner query, continued to talk together about the new edition of the Sorcerer Magazine.

The petite bluenette sat gracefully and opened her newest book that she seemed very fond of. After a few minutes, she closed the book and sighed, her eyes full of dreams.

Mira didn't think twice, jumped on the craziest conclusion possible, witnessing the strangest thing Levy could have done and yelled, stunned :

"OH MY GOD, LEVY ! You're in love ?! You're thinking about my brother ?!"

Instantly, all the girls nearby shut up and turned to stare at Levy.

"Eh ? What ? No !" Levy objected by stammering, uneasy with all the glares –especially Evergreen's.

Cana had a resounding laugh that brought tears to her eyes.

"That must be the most absurd ship you have ever done !" Cana giggled, holding her sides.

"Yeah, Levy always had a passion for birds. And so do, Elfman." Lisanna pointed out, referring to their childhood. "Doesn't mean anything more than friendship according to me."

"Besides, she doesn't have the curves to satisfy a man." Evergreen pouted. "He would destroy her."

Even if she didn't mean it in a dirty way, Erza's roaming imagination was making her face redder than her hair, making people confuse on what was her face and what was her hair.

"You're just jealous because she has a fanclub and you don't !" Cana smirked.

"The curves to satisfy a man." Juvia blushed. "Evergreen-san knows about that kind of stuff ?... Juvia didn't know she was at that level with Elfman..."

"Am not !" Evergreen yelled, mad and slightly embarrassed. "A Fairy like me is pure in her heart and in her soul."

"And in her ass..." Cana muttered to Juvia who was now nose bleeding, accompanied by Erza.

Hopefully, Evergreen didn't hear that last comment and Mira simply refocused her attention on what really mattered.

"Well, nobody knows ! Love finds its own way !" Mira protested. "So...Levy ?"

Her devilish smile on that angelic face of hers made a chill run down Levy's spine. She knew she was doomed. She was just wondering how bad it would get before she could escape Mira's interest. Levy had suffered Mira's hobby for quite some time now. Even when she was a little monster, she was overly attracted to romance. She had tried so many times to get her with either Jet or Droy. Even without success, this woman didn't know the concept of giving up.

Levy gulped and reinitiated her affirmation.

"I wasn't thinking of Elfman. I swear ! That's just...no ! We're friends."

The girls went silent, looking at each other. Levy was feeling uneasy like she was having the intuition that they were communicating through their minds like Warren.

"Levy-chan~" Lucy hummed, smiling innocently –or that's what she wanted Levy to think. "Isn't there something that you haven't tell me during our sleepover from last week ? You sworn that you hadn't a special someone..."

"I hadn't !" Levy confirmed eagerly.

"AH ! Hadn't. In the past ! So now, you do !" Mira fussed around, delighted.

"..."

"Oh ! And she doesn't deny it ! Even better !" Mira squealed, being immoderately happy.

"...No, you don't get it." Levy tried to explain.

It was too late. All the girls were already imagining things and yelping about how wonderful it was. The fuss was so big that the guys stopped their fight to see what happened.

"Levy's in love !"

The comments were bustling, everyone wanted to say something about it.

"Wo, really ?" Gray asked.

"Is Gray-sama disappointed in that ?" Juvia moped, dejected before seeing hope. "Juvia's next, for sure."

"That's pretty manly."

"My little Levy is all grown-up, now." The Master blew his nose, touched.

"Congratulations !" Bickslow laughed, followed by his babies that repeated after him.

"Hope you'll be happy." Fried added to his friend's greetings.

"If he ever hurt your feelings, tell me. I shall act accordingly." Erza assured her.

"Can't believe you haven't told me before Levy-chan !" Lucy whined, falsely vexed.

"Did you already confessed ?" Biska asked.

"I'm happy for you, Levy-san." Wendy smiled.

"Really ?..." Jet and Droy muttered, sorrowful and depressed.

"Wo, Levy is getting married ?!" Wakaba called out to something Macao said.

Well, that was escalating quickly...Really, there was no such thing as privacy in Fairy Tail. They all had to get involved. Only Gajeel was remaining at his table with Lily by his sides. Surely, he didn't want anyone's company because he looked quite irritated.

Levy was dropping a sweat when Natsu was picking his ear and asked the one-million question that everyone seemed to have forgotten.

"That's cool. But, who's the guy ?"

Everyone froze –even Gray. They were all so excited that they missed the main point ! Mira intercepted the hint that she had been looking for to say what was on her heart.

"I personally ship her with Ga..."

"Do I know him ?" Erza asked, since she was one of the few people that didn't fear the She-Devil. "Or her, it's totally cool too."

Levy was thinking that it was going way too far for what it really was. So, to serve them good, she decided to play the game.

"It's a "him". And no, you don't. Lucy does, though."

A few jaw dropped since they believe it was a certain Iron Dragon Slayer who made her heart beat faster.

"EEEH ? I do ?" Lucy asked, surprised to be the only one to know the now 'mysterious' lover.

Levy gripped her friend and whispered something quick enough that no one even Natsu hadn't have the time to react. Lucy started to burst out laughing.

"Ohhhhh, him ! Yeah, of course you'd fall for such a guy." Lucy winked. "I never heard of a guy more perfect than him..."

"I know, right ?" Levy daydreamed. "I think he has only one flaw. But I don't care...since I'm hopelessly in love with him. It was predestined, I'm sure !"

Mira gasped. Levy had finally said it ! However, it left her bitter since it wasn't her hoped ship –GaLe that she had been in love with since she heard that Gajeel saved Levy from Laxus' fury.

"Have you confess ? Or has he ? Will he come to the ball ? Did he invited you ? How is he ? He's hot, right ?" All the girls asked simultaneity.

Levy shook her head, discouraged.

"That's far too many question and I'm late. I ordered the continuation of a book and I most go to the library around...now ! Bye guys !"

Normally, they would suspect that she might go meet her secret lover, but by showing her library's bill, it convinced them otherwise.

Levy abruptly disappeared from their sight. She was quite a fast runner when needed. Unfortunately for her, Mira wasn't going to content herself with so little.

"How is he ?" She asked to Lucy. "You're not gonna hide anything, are you ?"

"Erm...no."

Lucy was aware of the dangers that represent being put on Mira's black list. And she didn't want to experience it.

"He's very handsome in a model kind of way. Not like Blue Pegasus' Trimen, but more gentleman like and tall. And he's muscular yet not too much. And he got a smile that would make melt any woman's heart... Despite that, he's not a womanizer. In short, he's not like any guys from here. He got style. He's caring and passionate. Although, very mysterious, but also very open since he's very kind-hearted. The kind of guy you would never get enough of..."

In the back, an innocent piece of iron was regretting of ever existing. The sound made by his destruction was worse than someone scratching a black board. A dark aura was hurling the guild hall, but everyone was focus on the guy's description to care about it.

"Would you love the guy, too ?" Cana cackled after taking a sip of liquor.

"Tch, like hell she would !" Natsu shouted. "She has no time to lose with him ! The only thing she cares about is her rent."

"And her weight." Happy added cheerfully, after being rejected again by Charle.

"You stupid cat ! Come here, I'll show you the weight of my Lucy's kick in your face !" She roared, insulted.

"Catch me if you can." Happy challenged her while flying towards the exit.

"I got your back, Happy !" Natsu yelled before running after his two partners.

After they left, Mira decided to do what she considered her duty as a friend. Interfere in the private life of her friends and get them what was best for them.

"That's smell fishy and I don't talk about the fish Happy tried to give to Charle..." Mira began to say. "We don't know that guy ! Levy is blind by his good-looks and she might get lost. We must help her to find her way to her true love."

"Doesn't her love life only concern her and nobody else ?" Wendy risked.

"Alala..." Mira sighed, fond of the young girl's naivety. "You're new to our methods. But, as a family, we cannot simply leave her to her own judgement. We must approve her choice, too."

"Erm…okay ?" Wendy agreed unsure.

Now, Mira was 'all fired up'. She climbed on the counter and reclaimed everyone's attention. It wasn't time for some secretive plans on matchmaking. She had to involve all the guild into it or they would lose Levy to some random guy that was trying to act perfect.

"We cannot let Levy fall into the arms of this fake guy ! No guy can be that perfect ! We see that daily here... No offense, guys."

"No hard feelings, sis." Elfman reassured her.

"We all know who she's meant to be with ! Seriously, it's the most obvious pair since Biska and Alzack !" Mira continued with passion.

The married couple blushed while their friends were laughing at the memories, patting their backs.

"It's me !" Jet inserted, proud.

"No way, dude !" Droy disagreed. "It's me for sure."

While they began to fight over it for the millionth time, nobody notice the Iron Dragon Slayer that he had a bad day enough and that he had to leave before destroying the whole guild. Lily had the wisdom to not comment on anything that was going on since he knew perfectly the reason why he's friend was in a foul mood.

God, it was pretty obvious. He fancied the girl for as long as Lily knew him and even then it was old news. However, what surprised him was that he thought Levy too liked the guy –for a really unknown reason. Although, the tension between those two was palpable, they were just dense about it and they were just fooling around each other like oblivious idiots. He had guessed they were just afraid of the other person rejecting them. Anyway, they were just cute to watch interact with each other.

So, to know that Levy had a crush or more for some guy was quite choking. Lily could smash his head against the wall since he finally managed to convince Gajeel about his own feelings about the girl. Having known how this day would be, Lily would have shut up. He feared how Gajeel would deal with his anger and jealousy because even if the fool said he had no feelings, he was really bad at concealing emotions. It was like reading a book...

Mira smiled genuinely happy when Lily met her glance. Oh no...she wasn't planning on...

"Gajeel !"

Yes, she was totally planning on involving Gajeel. It was a bad idea.

"Oh yeah ! Juvia absolutely ship that !"

Fairies girls were crazy. It was a known fact. They were fangirls and proud to be. And accordingly to that, their vital needs were fulfilled by shipping couples, because Mira was clearly not the only one that was fond of the concept of love. They had an armada of ships on their guild mates and they weren't going to let a wanna-be 'Mister Perfect' ruin it. Their hidden dream of seeing GaLe was going to come true with the help of Monster Jealousy, apparently. Mira had awaken the love beast that was sleeping on the bottom of their hearts. Their common objective was uniting them as a single man –like Elfman would say.

But, first they had to discover the identity of the secret crush of Levy that only Lucy knew who he was.

The countdown had started. Only 24 hours before the ball. People said that Love was like a battlefield. They never were more right!


	2. Chapter 2

High was the sun in the blue sky and low was Gajeel’s patience. Its rays burned what little calm that the Iron Dragon Slayer still possessed. Everything bothered him that day. He woke up with a headache, no food remained in his fridge, the guild’s board compiled boring jobs and he took the one that seemed less shitty only to be told when arrived that it had been cancelled. Then, there was that stupid Spring Festival that everyone in that damn city was too hyped for. He had to bear its organization or he would have had to face Mirajane’s wrath, which he would love to avoid. Still, all his guildmates were insufferably loud. They were loud to begin with, but today was off-the-chart loudness. Even his headache seemed to feed on their agitation.  
It was true that those inconveniences soured his mood; however none of those caused his murderous aura to rise to such a length. For ten minutes now, he was absent-mindlessly crushing his iron snack so hard that it began to defy physics. All his concentration was directed towards the conversation at the bar. It wasn’t a habit of his to eavesdrop but it somehow happened that way, that day... Yeah, that was a total lie. He wished he could have denied but since Lily’s pep talk of two weeks ago, he was too aware of his own feelings to fool himself now.   
He liked Shrimp. Like a lot. Way too much to his liking. He couldn’t help it. Her playful smile when she’d replicate with wittiness to one of his snarky remarks. The sparks in her big brown eyes when she was being absorbed in the wonderland of one of her books. Her cute pout when he over-used the nicknames he gave her. Her stance when she was ready to battle in the name of her friends. The way her voice called his name...  
He shook his head to escape from his frivolous daydreaming. It annoyed him that since he realized his “feelings”, his imagination had gone on such rampages. Before not knowing what that warm feeling was, he tossed it aside without sinking in it, which prevented him to confront such reverie. Now, he felt like the helpless princess of Fluffy-Softy-Land. What the hell was he thinking...? Oh god, what had Fairy Tail made of him? A more decent human being, for starters, his mind conceded. And the possibility for a better future. One with happiness, maybe. With...  
The mage clenched his teeth and forbade himself to go on with that train of thought. Not after what he just heard. For two weeks of being conscious of his interest in Shorty, as to maintain a reasonable level of sanity, he became more observant of her behavior. Or rather, of her behavior with him. He had to fathom her demeanor to try to guess her feelings towards him, whether it was friendship or, perhaps, hopefully, more. Their frequent side-glances, the shy smile-nods and their flustered reaction when unexpected skin contacts occurred had him wondering if they weren’t beating about the bush when it came to their relationship. As Lily encouraged him fervently to take action and settle the matter, Gajeel had been mentally preparing himself to break the ice. It certainly wasn’t because he was afraid or whatnot that he hadn’t ventured yet. He wanted to do this right as it was unfamiliar territory. His anticipation never grew so tense until now.  
Now it was broken. He felt so...stupid. And furious. Not against Lily nor against Shorty as some douche would have. No, he was furious against himself. His flaming rage was directed towards his pathetic hope tainted with dumb and vain optimism. How could he have let raise his expectations so high? Was he completely daft or simply masochist? Of course, a girl like Shrimp was totally out of his league. Of course, she would fall in love with someone as incredibly unique and beautiful as herself. Of course, he would never be that lucky person. Not even in a hundred of lives. It hurt. It hurt mostly, because deep down, he knew. He knew he was unworthy. Yet his heart held to a thread of hope. And now it was broken and so was his heart somehow.   
Gajeel needed to get out of the guild. Its walls seemed to be closing on him. He had to go break something just so he wouldn’t be alone in that onerous state. He stood up with more energy than necessary, knocking his bench down. He hadn’t planned to storm out as exit but he really didn’t care. Lily wisely stepped aside, letting the Dragon Slayer pass. He knew he was overreacting but it was all so new and so unexpectedly challenging that he didn’t know how to manage the rush of emotions, ravaging his rationality and composure. He definitely needed to get out.   
Without a glance towards the bar, not knowing if Shorty had left or not and fearing meeting her eyes while not calm, he walked straight to the main door, taking away his dark aura that would spoil the festive atmosphere. Stupid Spring Festival.  
“Gajeel~”, called a feminime voice, sweetly yet firmly calling him out as if it wasn’t the first time she wanted to grasp his attention. “Are you done with your chores yet?”  
She sounded falsely accommodative as she ignored Lily waving exaggerated signs, warning her not to talk to his partner. As survival instinct was an innate gift preventing lives to go on dangerous paths, everyone could sense in their core that poking Gajeel in one of his bad day was an equivalent no-go as wrestling a famished grizzly. However, Mirajane knew no obstacle scary enough to make her consider taking another road for her matchmaking quest. Her idea of preventing the downfall of her prioer ship, GaLe, was making her oblivious to any signals from instinct or guildmates to warn her not to tease Gajeel further. Although, she would have ignored it anyway since her mission was far too important to be encumbered by such insignificant details such as Gajeel’s mood.  
Almost at the exit, the Dragon Slayer stopped abruptly. A vein popped from his temple. He had enough of it all. His patience couldn’t take it anymore. The day was already going downhill at full speed and the crash was seconds away. He could sense it. He wouldn’t hold up his calm if they were going to do what he dreadfully believed they’d do. Whimsical tease and merry commotions never really helped his mood and now even less. He just wanted to leave and be alone with his dark thoughts. He wasn’t inclined to make a scene; therefore he took a deep breath, turned slowly to the barmaid and offered his most amiable response:  
“Count me out. I’d rather ripped off my piercings with my teeth than participate to that idiot show.”  
Mirajane tilted her head to the side, a thin mischievous smile shadowing her angelic aura.  
“Oh my, my! What a troublesome little diva we have here. Do I have to remind you what happens if one doesn’t finish their task as sweetly asked by me and the Master?   
Makarov sniffed while mumbling a weak excuse that forced him to return to his office. All the remaining mages imperceptibly gulped except Erza with her irreproachable hard-working nature. Gajeel bit his lips, irked. He “forgot” his dreadful duty which consisted in fancily fold the napkins in a duck-or-swan-origami pattern. What a bother...  
“Juvia recommends that Gajeel-kun reconsider doing a rebellion...” risked the water mage.  
He groaned and muttered hoarsely:  
“I know, I know. I just feel groggy from...a bad night of insomnia... I’ll come early tomorrow to fold those stupid napkins you want.”  
Believing his half-assed excuse saved him the trouble of enduring them longer, he reached the doorknob. A chuckle made him pause.  
“Insomnia, eh? I wonder what a big fella like you think about all night long, if you know what I mean,” sniggered Cana, elbowing alternatively Wakaba and Macao. “Maybe, a blue fairy...”  
A few tried to hide their understanding smiles until Elfman dropped the bomb:  
“You mean, Levy?”  
Some had their jaw dropping before his lack of tact –or his stupidity- and others retrained themselves from laughing but most just facepalmed. Gajeel tensed, destroying the massive iron-forged doorknob. Black smoke emanated from his shadow. Lily sighed; his partner was really losing his disinterested yet “cool” composure this evening with all the nagging from his comrades. Gajeel turned around in search of the moron who dared say the forbidden name.  
“What you say, blockhead?!”  
The atmosphere was electrical, everyone ready to brawl. Gray was even cracking his joints in the prospect while Bislow was stretching along side his babies and Erza was putting her metal knuckles on as if she was resigning herself to participate. Mirajane walked up and raised her hands in protest.   
“That’s enough, everyone. Urgent matters await us, I can all beat your butts later, but now it’s a question of life or death.”  
“...Isn’t it a bit exaggerated, Mira-san? I mean, it’s Levy-san we are talking about. She’s not going to meet a bad boy or anything...no?” hazarded Wendy.  
“Hush, my dear Wendy. Watch and learn~” gently suggested the white-haired barmaid, patting the girl’s head.  
Mirajane gracefully jumped on a table nearby to tower the noisy assembly. It caught everyone’s attention as the devilish woman was their head-commander for the Spring Festival and her wrath was to be avoided at all cost. Therefore, everyone was waiting upon her instructions. Also, it would be a lie to say they weren’t interested in meddling Levy’s business.   
“Okay, Gajeel, you may be obliged and not do your festival’s task...” began the woman, merrily.  
Gajeel awaited the swindle. He could have bet his soul to the Devil on what she was about to say. Though, she was the Devil...  
“IF you invite Levy to the Spring Festival Ball instead of that Mr.Nobody, of course~ I know you have no one to go with so this is perf...”  
“Not happening. See you guys tomorrow,” interrupted the taciturn mage.  
Anticipating a wave of protests as he attempted for the third time to exit, an odd silent fell instead. He couldn’t witness the spark that lit in Mira’s eyes from an idea to add up to her scheming streak. She exchanged a quick glance with Erza, both understanding the turn they were going to make. Erza also fondly loved romance and was excited to be part of the shipping involving one of her childhood’s friends. In addition, she was used to Mira’s way of thinking so they made a terrifying duo when teaming for a common goal. They knew that Gajeel, all beaten, wouldn’t be of any use for their plan which leaded them to agree silently on another tactic.   
“Oh okay, then…” sighed a falsely regretful Mirajane. “That’s too bad, but we can’t force you to invite dear Levy… Oh well~”  
The whole guild was widespread confusion. They all expected Mira to beat the guy to a pulp or to at least protest firmly but certainly not that turnaround situation. Gajeel’s mind was in total chaos. He was both relieved and annoyed by that outcome. He thought maybe the girls figured he wasn’t the best choice for Shorty after all, which made his heart painfully clench.   
“Pff, can’t count on that guy in the end…” began Erza. She tried to sound maliciously, however it made everyone pick up that there was something being plotted. “I guess we gonna need another guildmate to save Levy from the bad boy’s claws.”  
“Indeed,” approved the demonic barmaid, mimicking a scan of the crowd. “Let’s see who it could be… Hmm~ Gray, maybe?”  
Juvia’s eyes darted Gray-sama which dissuaded him to volunteer. Prcautious, he let know he couldn’t. Then, he was going to pretend he would go look for Natsu that ran out earlier with Lucy and Happy.  
“Oh, I see. You already planned to invite Juvia? No problem, then~”  
Juvia beamed with delight and Gray, already lost with all those schemes, decided to go along with it, smiling uncertain.  
“Okay, so who?” continued the woman, ignoring the gestures of Jet and Droy who begged to be chosen and approved by her, knowing too well that they wouldn’t dare interfere in Mira’s plan otherwise. “Freed, are you free?”  
She was now shamelessly smiling with contentment. Gajeel hadn’t left. It was proof that everything was going accordingly as she intended. Besides, she knew that the Dragojn Slayer kept an eye on the green-haired mage who, he believed, had some affinities with Levy that could develop a relationship between them. It was nonsense, of course, because it was known that Freed devoted all his feelings to his admiration for Laxus. The insecurities of Gajeel played in favor of Mira.   
Before Freed could pronounce a single word, Gajeel bursted the awaited-declaration:  
“Fine, fine ! I’ll do it if you’re gonna meddle anyway in her business. Might as well do some damage control, so you guys don’t f*ck up her date or something…”  
Radiating with complacency, Mira was about to take advantage of her victory and nag the poor guy some more when she was interrupted by a newcomer.  
The inside doorknob was all twisted which required more strength to open the guild entrance. Since Gajeel was still standing relatively close to the entryway, he felt a gust of wind on his back, produced by the swing of the door. On the doorstep, there was a man standing with a thick book in his hands. He came into light as he shyly stepped inside the guild.   
He brought all the attention to himself, not because he was a stranger who cut short the guild “reunion” but because his character, the charisma he emanated attracted the eyes. Standing tall and proudly wearing a dark suit enhancing his well-built body, he made a polite bow as a greeting. The modesty of his demeanor highlighted his gentleman-like manners what charmed the ladies in the room. His features were sharp which oddly contrasted with his eyes showed the soft-heartness of a puppy and his shy smile. The girls felt their heart tightening before such simple yet elegant style. They sighed in delight. Loosening his necktie, he asked with a deep voice tinted of a foreign accent (which sounded from the north):   
“I’m sorry to disturb your meeting, but could I see Levy? We have scheduled a date.”  
The astonishment couldn’t have been greater. Not only was the secret crush in the guild but it seemed it was already Levy’s boyfriend. Mirajane felt destabilized by that development since her plan wasn’t fully polished and had yet to be set into motion. It threw off her game-play.   
Well...  
Life had a crooked sense of humour and certainly other ideas in mind. It brought their designed-enemy, Levy’s mysterious and too-new interest to the guild, leaving them dumbfounded. Gajeel felt over-powered by this too-good to be true opponent, facing him on an unfamiliar battlefield.   
Love had its way of finding entertainment and wouldn’t get bored watching Gajeel (and the guild) confront the new player in town.  
After all, the show had already began~


	3. Chapter 3

Levy was happily waiting in line with the latest volume of one of her favorite book series of all time. The atmosphere of the bookstore was joyful as everyone had its own copy in hand. Boys and girls, men and women of all age were eagerly talking about their expectations of the story.

The book series of Gaby Otter had captivated millions of people and was well-established in the Fioran pop culture. There were many fan clubs, conventions and festivals to celebrate the masterpiece. She even heard that there were even sects that worshipped it as if it was a religion. Some fans were really dedicated to that universe. Levy was also a huge fan but not to that extent. She was indeed engrossed in the plot and cared for its characters. One of her dreams was to go to the theme park of the series. Since it was really far away and particularly expensive, she would need to make some savings and do some planning.

For now, she was quite contented with the new book alone. Levy couldn't stop smiling. Her smile was so wide that her facial muscles started to ache. She wished she could do as usual when waiting in line which consisted in mentally anticipating her Reading Moment. Depending on her mood and on the genre of the book to be read, the bluenette liked to set an ambiance, a zone where she'd be cut out of her reality and be fully emerged in the fiction she chose. Her favorite spot was a pillow-blanket fortress in a corner next to her bookshelves where her comfort was guaranteed since it was fluffy and warm at all times. A night stand was near where she would have her blue flowery teapot and her hand-paint cup, accompanied by some snacks usually hidden in the drawer.

However, today was different. She had to focus on her job assignment. She hadn't quite finished her plan on how to successfully complete her spell. Well, actually it was a counter-spell, which was much more difficult and always demanded very specific details for its completion. That was one of the downside of script magic. It was always easier to cast a spell or an incantation than to undo it.

Well, she wouldn't complain on this particular job. The mission felt like a blessing since not in her wildest dreams would she have thought of such a luck happening to her. An unbelievable yet incredible job AND the release of a new volume of an amazing book series. In the same week! Many would sell their soul to be in her shoes. It had been six days already since she took the job and she still had difficulties to convince herself that it wasn't a dream. She tried to rationalize it as much as she could but she couldn't help herself but hyped about it when she was alone. She had to stay composed when she was with her client even if he was a person she admired a lot.

Even with those two events that should have filled her heart with contentment, the timing was rather bad. Her deadline was the next day. The infamous Spring Festival of Magnolia was also that same day. In itself it wouldn't be that inconvenient if it wasn't the day that Levy had an opportunity to invite Gajeel to at least one dance without the invitation being weird or out of place –or so she tried to convince herself.

She was fooling herself that if she wasn't on a mission, she would have gathered enough strength, willpower for that important step. That scarcely anticipated step was that she was going to ask Gajeel to be her partner for the Festival. Alas, her mission had to be completed during the Spring Equinox which conflicted with her resolution. Or rather it was an easy excuse that she willingly took. It was a decent escape. Her brain was often overthinking when it came to Gajeel and always came up with what-ifs and worst-case scenarios that would destabilize the normally in-control Levy.

Also she was growing shyer around him. Levy knowing that she had an expressive face; she couldn't help but feel like it was incredibly obvious that she liked him. All the blushing and the stammering whenever he was very close of her made it kind of... not subtle. She kept internally facepalming whenever she would act all maiden-in-love like around him. Fortunately so far, he didn't mention it to her and he didn't seem the type to make confidences to people. Except with Lily. That thought could have triggered the 'overthink' but Lily wasn't one to gossip around, which meant it was fine. Right?

She would be so embarrassed if he knew how she felt about him. It was impossible that he liked her more than just a friend. A woman that would match Gajeel should be tall, curvy, fierce and with mad combat skills. So, basically the opposite of Levy. It's not like she disliked herself or anything. Even though, she sometimes wished she could be the kind of girl that could catch Gajeel's eyes. Well, whatever.

Sure, some people teased her that Gajeel and she were flirting. But, they obviously had their heads in the clouds. Gajeel flirting with her? Nah... Yeah, they got along well and quite often bickered but it was all innocent fun. She even caught herself looking forward to their little...what was it exactly? Teasing? Fooling around? Amiable quarrel?

That but also she didn't know what changed exactly, but since two weeks or so, she met his gaze more often and was getting conscious about it. In addition, there was the teasing from her friends that exasperated her but also slightly confused her. Anyhow, she had to settle for guildmate and friend and should appreciate it as if it wasn't all that bad.

Still, there was one thing she wanted before trying to move on that impossible crush. A dance. All she wanted was one dance. Just one nice and somewhat cute moment with him. She knew that she was a hopeless romantic. Yet she couldn't help herself but wish to possess that one memory of them as something a little more than friends. She was frivolous and she knew it but didn't care. It was her one whim. Unfortunately, determination and fear were battling to take over the lead of her actions.

Sighing, Levy flipped the page of her book and took a deep breath, hoping that inhaling the perfume of new paper would clear her mind. The line clearing, it was her turn at last. While chit-chatting with the cashier, she caught a glimpse of lacrima television hanging behind the counter. News was that there was a series of attacks on young girls by a cloaked individual. Although the injuries were never fatal, it still worried the whole city as the culprit was still on the loose. The police struggled in connecting the victims together as none of them were acquainted. The only link was that they were all fairly pretty. Was it an aggressive Don Juan that was rudely eager or was it a pervert with rejection issues? Then there was an interview of one of the victim saying she was assaulted after returning from a pop culture convention.

Levy would have liked to watch some more but she didn't want to hold up the line. She took her newly bought book and put it in her brown leather satchel. Leaving the packed bookstore, she noticed the clock and her heart sank. It was thirty minutes past 2 o'clock! She had a rendezvous with her client at 2. She couldn't believe she let time pass by so quickly without her noticing. She always liked to think she was professional at all time when on a mission. Yet a simple book release made her mind wander away from her responsibilities. Even though, the mission and the book were, by the greatest mystery, connected. Somehow. She didn't quite wrap her head around those facts yet as the memory resurfaced.

It all went back a week ago when she saw an ad written in a language other than the official ones of Fiore. Picking her interest, she stood on her tip-toes in order to have a proper look. She recognized the language to be one of fiction. It came in fact from the international best-selling series that everyone was so engrossed of. Gaby Otter. The author being previously a linguist and a literature teacher decided to create a whole language for her fictional world. It was however sparsely used through the series and was more explored in the spin-offs, the official guides and the history book of her imagined universe. Fascinated by it since languages were such a huge part of her learning as a Solid-Script Mage, she had bought the dictionary on an impulse- well, as long as it concerned a bookworm, it wasn't impulsive, but that's just a book lover's lie.

Levy ripped the request for consultation. Whatever was written on it, she was convinced she was the only one that could take it. Lucy could, but being part of Natsu's team, it was unlikely that they would take it. Besides, she doubted that Lucy went to the extent to buy that dictionary despite her adoration of those books. It was a translator's fun, after all. Walking towards the rustic bar to notify Mirajane, she couldn't help herself to scan the guild in search of... She shook her head, chasing the fact that it almost became a habit to look for Gajeel in the crowd, -scratch almost and replace it by always, for more accuracy. Mirajane was wiping a pint as Levy walked up to her. The bluenette handed over the paper so the barmaid could check it as taken.

"So you feel up for the task?" inquired her white-haired friend, winking knowingly before writing something down.

"Probably. I don't know what's the mission yet", admitted Levy.

Mira looked up in surprise.

"What do you mean you don't know? You're our translator, aren't you?"

The young mage sat up on the too-high leveled stool, relaxed but also disappointed by the absence of someone. Her cheerful smile didn't give that away.

Mira's exclamation was rather out of the blue, especially coming from the normally calm and in-control Mirajane. Though she had to admit it was un-Levy-like to agree to a mission without knowing what it was beforehand. Whatever it was, she was rather excited by the prospect of a new challenge. She always was eager to test her abilities on 'uncharted' translations.

"Yeah. It's no big deal. I'll decipher it in one hour. Tops. And besides, even if I don't know now, it's not like someone else would have taken that mission, right?" deduced Levy.

"I suppose", agreed Mirajane, returning the paper back to the young mage.

"So why didn't you come directly to me? No one would have guess it's Magorian, the fictional language of the Lost Lands in the series of Gaby Otter."

"Hm, what? How would I know?" asked Mira, oddly tensed. Maybe, she disliked that "mainstream" story.

"Well, you are the one in charge of the billboard, so I figured..."

"I've been super busy with the preparation of the preparations of the Spring Festival, you see. So, my head is a bit in the clouds", justified the barmaid, acting fussy behind her bar despite the fact that the guild was mostly empty.

She was mixing a drink with energy. She might have forgotten an order, back from when Levy came to her. Mirajane seemed stressed, which was an unusual sight. Although it was true that she had a lot on her plate since the Spring Festival was a huge responsibility.

"Yeah, I get that. Don't worry, it wasn't a reproach or anything. Just wondering."

"So! How is Gajeel?"

That was Mira's favorite way to change subjects with Levy. Bothering her with a touchy subject. It always ended in either Mira profusely teasing Levy, sometimes with the help of the rest of the Fairy girls or the blunette leaving, blushing.

"Don't know, haven't seen him."

Levy tried to seem impassive. Surely, with little success. Mirajane's wide smile made her assume so as she said:

"Oh, what's a bummer... I can fix that for you, right now~"

The wink assured her the seriousness of the offer. Therefore, it was meant to make her leave. The girl got the message, rolled her eyes and sighed with amused exasperation. She took her things and bid farewell as she needed to decipher the mission's ad.

At first, Levy questioned the accuracy of her translation. Then, she wondered if it was just a prank. It barely made sense as it mostly was enigmatic phrases. It was –apparently- about an inter-dimensional teleportation and a stalker. Those two elements let Levy puzzled. Either way, the blunette gave it the benefit of the doubt and went along with it. There was an hour and a meeting place that the client waited to every day. She decided to go the following day as that meeting hour already passed.

The next morning, she was up early. She couldn't wait to meet the strange person behind the mission request. She hardly believed it would be an actual mission but it didn't bother her as the effort to make the request was impressive. Besides, she'd like to befriend that person who clearly was a fan of the Gaby Otter series. Although she wasn't sure how to react to the fact that it might be a fake request, she decided she would just only warn the person not to do such things as guilds were serious business. It was true that Fairy Tail didn't seem very serious nor business-like. But well, the image of the guild didn't change its purpose.

Standing besides the fountain of a small park, Levy reached for her current book. Waiting for clients always gave her the blessed excuse to read while at work. It was one of the reasons why she was in advance for most meetings. She never complained about people being late.

Merged in the story, she didn't notice the shadow that obscured the pages she was reading. However, the polite cough did catch her attention. She was slightly startled and looked up in confusion. An elegant young man stood in front of her. The mismatch between his three-piece suit and the sport cap hiding half his face made him look extravagant. She could only see his full lips smiling down to her. She tilted her head as he said in a northern accent:

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice that you have Fairy Tail's mark. And I'm in fact waiting for someone from that guild."

Levy sprang on her feet and extended her hand in salutation with which he did the same with an almost unperceivable bow. She had a better look at her interlocutor. With soft features and yet a slightly squared jaw, he really had a handsome face that would leave most girls dreamy. It could have worked on Levy if she wasn't so into angular and strong featured faces with deep dark red eyes...

"I am! Are you the person who wrote the request in Magorian?"

"Yes. And I thank you for taking upon that request. I was starting to lose hope, truthfully."

"Well, I must say that not a lot of people can read that fictional language. And since you seem to speak Fiorian, I'm curious about why you didn't write in that language everyone could have understood..."

His hand reached his head as if he wanted to stroke his fingers through his chestnut hair but forgetting he was wearing a cap. The movement was awkward. The question seemed to have surprised him.

"Well...you see, I needed someone that would be really well up on Magorian since my situation required someone who would know about my homeland. And, well, what better way than writing the request in my native language to find someone like that to help me. I'm quite lucky that you have responded to it despite his curious nature. "

Before Levy could ponder about the fact that he stated that Magorian, a fictional language was his native language, something else also caught her attention. In gratitude, the young man tipped his cap as if he were wearing a top hat and then his heart. A mannerism rather out of place and out of time. In addition to that, Levy just noticed how gentleman-like his stance was and how polite his speech and manners were. Those were accentuated by his unexpected shyness.

No one acted like that. Or at least no one from reality did. The people who behaved so nobly were usually from a past time or from fiction. What came in mind most naturally were the people from the Lost Lands who got caught up from the rest of the world that they carried old-fashioned lifestyle and manners. Exactly like the salutation the man just did which was the formal greeting in the Lost Lands. No way, it was impossible. Utterly impossible. The only plausible explication would be that...

"Are you a cosplayer?" asked boldly Levy.

The stranger blinked dumbfounded as if he didn't know what that meant before shaking his head. The bluenette took a better look at him. His clothes didn't look like a costume, but really just old-fashioned clothes. His handsome features and his fashion looked unsettlingly familiar. Yet she couldn't pinpoint how she could have known him and the more she looked at him the more certain she got that she saw him somewhere. He had an aura quite mesmerizing not by a strong presence but by a calm charm. Therefore, hardly forgettable. Unfortunately, her memory didn't want to oblige her.

Probably witnessing Levy's inner struggle with her query, the man said:

"Sorry for my lack of politeness, I have yet to present myself. I'm Nathaniel Blake, count of Sho Kran and... previous ambassador of her Majesty Queen Gloriana II in foreign lands. I'm in your care."

She had heard that line before. Or rather, read it. Despite his seriousness, she had to ask. Now,it could only meant that it was...

"A prank. That is what this is, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure that I follow you on that... Are you thinking I'm making a farce? Because I must confess I'm not know for my humor."

Before he could finish that statement, the puzzles pieces came together. Now she understood the weird turn of phrases. It's because she didn't initially took it literally. The request asking for help was really about someone who got transported unknowingly from his world to this reality by a person the client considered scary and dangerous. The mission consisted to get the client back to his world as soon as possible.

Levy couldn't deny that the man did have a troubling resemblance to what she imagined Nathaniel would look like. It did match the description in the books. She still struggled to accept his introduction as true. How could she? Sure, magic existed; she was of course well aware of that. However, the magic of her reality had limits. It couldn't possibly link dimensions or make something fictional real.

'Nathaniel' seemed to see her doubting his words. Anyhow, what followed left Levy startled. He unbuttoned his shirt which made them both blush. Something dark against his skin caught Levy's eyes. She then understood.

"I apologize for this uncomfortable moment, but I discover that in this reality I'm just part of a story. Perhaps this would convince you that I'm telling the truth."

On his chest, the skin was marked with a branded symbol, remnant of his time imprisoned as a hostage by a group of revolts that wanted to throw down the monarchy of the Lost Lands. The mark was a taboo that was meant disgrace and dishonor. Once printed on the skin, it followed the person and condemned them to contempt and disgrace. Even if it wasn't done by the Crown, its significance remained.

She approached to take a closer look to the symbol that has made his life so difficult after his escape. The details of the drawing were impressive, a complex mandala-like design. Its authenticity was proved by the scars had aged and left some of the skin whiter.

It was real. Her jaw dropped. Or rather, it was surreal and even insane. Was he really saying that he was one of her favorite fictional characters of all time? In flesh –not the actor but the real him? Before her?! Nathaniel Blake was the guy who, by his wittiness and his knowledge, had managed to avoid an imminent war against the Continent. Despite his difficult climb through the social hierarchy and his lack of luck (which seemed to be a curse at some point from his back story), Nathaniel stood tall and proud and dignified against adversity. In the latest book, he had been unjustly casted as a traitor and was on the run. Really, at the worst possible time, when there was finally some interesting development between him and his love interest... It was part of the reasons why she was so eager to have the new volume that would be released in a week! She wanted to find out what was happening with him.

And yet there he was, in front of her, asking for help. Reason could still try to deny it; no one in reality would be marked in red for real. Slavery was abolished and therefore marking in red too –even if some illegal networks continued that immoral practice as Erza's past sadly proved it. That fact tossed reason aside and embrace the absurdity of the matter.

For a moment now, Levy remained wide-eyed and her hands pressed against her mouth, suppressing a fangirl squeal. She quickly reminded herself that she had to act professional. No matter who was the client, she couldn't let her emotions dictate her behavior and jeopardize her work. She would have time to fangirl all she wanted when getting home. After telling Lu-chan, of course.

Regaining her composure, she talked his situation through. She suggested that they stopped at the library to do some research but that before that he needed to improve his disguise if he wanted to go "incognito". Since then, the Solid-Script mage had spent long hours in Magnolia's Great Library, dissecting documents about enchantment and the controversial theory about inter-dimensional travels. She had come up with a few leads on how sending Nathaniel back to his world.

Back to the present, she couldn't believe she had forgotten about her client because she was too busy buying the book that also featured him. How air-headed she was acting! She needed to keep her daydreaming in check. For example, if she had been more careful earlier, Levy could have avoided the disaster of this morning with Mira and the others about her "pseudo new crush" by not getting overly happy with the fact that she got to know Nathaniel in person, against all odds. Oh well... Now, it was too late. She would hear about it for a while, for sure. It's not like she wasn't used to all the teasing of her Fairy Tail family. She would manage. But, now she had other things to worry about. Like finding Nathaniel. Quickly.

She reached for her phone in her satchel. Her hand unsuccessfully grabbing other items, the bluenette realized she didn't have it. The plug not connected left her phone dead in her bedroom. She sighed, frustrated with her own thoughtlessness. Today was the kind of day when things were just not working as she would like them to.

Yet her priority to get to Nathaniel Blake as fast as possible remained vibrant in her mind despite the small inconveniences. He probably wasn't at the meeting point at this time. She needed her phone. She had given him a small device that if he was in trouble could alert Levy's lacrima phone and pinpoint where he was so she could come to his aid. The young mage needed to go get it in the guild. She just hoped that Nathaniel didn't wandered too far.

Levy walked fast enough to make the 15-minutes trip in roughly 7 minutes. Seeing the familiar yet grand edifice that she proudly called home made her feel more at ease despite the stressful incident that occurred earlier. One odd detail that caught her attention was the fact that the door remained open. Master was always very strict about closing it because it made the electricity bill more expensive since "wasting precious fresh air nicely provided by the AC that was not free by any means would make us ungrateful children, so we better always close the damn door". Those were Master's words since as long as Levy could remember. She pushed the gate and it took her a few seconds to understand what was going on.

Although the whole guild should prepare for the Spring Festival, no one seemed to do any chores. Since all the tables were aligned near the walls to be set as buffet tables and make room in the ground floor, there was now a dance floor. However, the lights were subdued and the multicolor lacrima pop ball was flashing across the room while epic instrumental music was already blasting the speakers. A mass of people was gathered in the center of the hall and most of them were moving to the rhythm of the music. Cheering was echoing, and the mood seemed high-spirited. For a moment there, Levy froze wondering if she spaced out and missed the notification that the festivities were advanced. She shook her head. No, that wouldn't make any sense since they had to celebrate the spring equinox the day it occurred or otherwise it would lose its meaning.

She could catch an occasional glimpse of the dancer that attracted everybody's attention. The performer was classily dressed; although he had his white shirt slightly unbuttoned and his suspenders down which seemed unnecessary since his suit trousers didn't seem to bother his movements. He danced what seemed to be some complex couple choreography with an imaginary partner. His body moved as fluidly as water yet his energy was as impressive as a raving fire. It was hard to not be mesmerized by the intense beauty of that scene.

It was almost a deception as the music reached its final notes. The dancer made a profound bow to conclude his performance. He threw back his head, combing his dark brown hair with one hand. His previous confidence seemed to vanish after that gesture as he gave a shy smile back to the crowd that was cheering. That signature timid smile belonged to precisely the man Levy was currently looking for. Nathaniel. Before she made even a step further in his direction, a last acclamation surpassed the noise of the other guildmates.

"Oh my god! Nath, you totally killed it~ If you weren't Levy's, I would totally do you…Oh hi, Levy!" waved Cana across the room, giving Levy her merry-drunk grin.

Everyone followed and went overboard as usual, acclaiming her arrival as if she was a long-lost child finally coming back home. She hadn't had time to even place a word that she was lead to the center of the gathering.

Levy was in a perplexed staring contest with Nathaniel. They both looked confused in being in the center of attention, though one of them shouldn't be as he gave a show seconds ago. She suddenly remembered what Cana said and began to anticipate what was going to follow. The dots started to connect in her head. Her joke of that morning about her fake crush came back into her mind. Surely the matchmaker hadn't forgotten about it. To confirm Levy looked in her direction. Mirajane, arm crossed and sided by Erza, looked at her, knowingly and ready to extract all the information she wanted from Levy. No, definitely remembered.

A fearsome future unfolded before Levy. They thought without a doubt that there was something going on between her and Nathaniel. It was obviously not the case, but she got tangled in her own farce. She just hoped that a certain someone wouldn't get informed about this nonsense. It would surely get out of hand. She needed to find a way out before the interrogation.

"So...how about a proper introduction, dear Levy~" suggested Mira with a honeyed voice that concealed a new devilish scheme in motion, smiling to Levy's face turning pale.

How would she get out of this mess? Or would she get more entangled in it? Mirajane's malicious smile made the latter more likely…


	4. Chapter 4

Sometimes Levy wondered why was she friends with people so annoying? The answer was easy. They were her family and she loved them. But still, sometimes they were so...terrifyingly childish.

Before all those malicious smiles and amused eyes, anyone would huddle in front of so much attention from Fairy Tail's mages. Fortunately –or unfortunately- for Levy, she was used to it. She was no exception as she was also occasionally enjoying such guilty pleasure when the target was someone else. She would have confronted Mira head-on, only her mind was too busy irrationally stressing over the fact that Gajeel might get the wrong idea if he knew about this. She shouldn't even worry about that as he wasn't even into her. Her habit of overanalyzing situations turned into overthinking when it came to her own emotions.

She needed her mind to focus on an escape but her reasoning was incapacitated by her anxious heart. Levy had little hope. It was without a doubt going to turn into an awkward interrogation and senseless teasing. Sighing, she knew she couldn't avoid the introductions. Although, it seemed it was unnecessary since they appeared to have a small dance show with Nathaniel. Nevertheless, Levy decided the safest course of action was to oblige Mira and the others. The blunette came up with a quick lie.

"Friends, this is my childhood friend, Nathaniel. From before I became a Fairy Tail's mage. He moved away to the north and it was only recently that he contacted me to meet up. So, we're catching up."

"Aaah, young love! So our Levy is the romantic type, huh?" interjected Makarov, like a father who learns more about his grown children.

She wished she could have lied that he was a cousin or something like that. However, they looked nothing alike and a too far-fetched lie would only make things worse. She had to play the childhood-friend card so they wouldn't get suspicious about why they didn't know about him. Yet the "childhood love" replica was not a surprising train of thought. Especially for gossip lovers such as the Fairy mages.

"Is he the guy that only Lucy knows about?" winked Lisanna, acting like a partner in crime.

That too was to be expected. Yet again Levy couldn't help but exhale sharply to retrain herself of sounding too defensive. It would only encourage them to think they were right about her being interested in Nathaniel. They really couldn't let go of her pseudo love life. First, Gajeel and now, Nathaniel. She just needed to get out of there before it got even more out of control. However, the remarks continued to fuse.

"Isn't he a little too tall for her though?" inquired Evergreen.

Levy wouldn't have mind it if Elfman hadn't come up with an embarrassing suggestion. Yet again.

"She must be on the tip of her toes when they kis..."

Someone really needed to duck tape his mouth. His lack of tact was really out of control today!

"Ooookay, interrupted Levy. So, um, I've introduced you to my friend. Now, it's time to go. See you, guys."

"Aww, don't be a party-pooper, Lev~" complained Cana.

Ignoring her, the blunette whispered a reproach to her client.

"Nathaniel, you weren't supposed to come here. And you should have called me. I seriously thought something had happened to you."

Her hand pressed against Nathaniel's back, she encouraged him towards the exit. Only then did Levy notice a silhouette leaning against the wall, subtly hiding in the fade shadows near the wooden door. Life couldn't have such a nagging sense of humor, could it? Her eyesight was just weakening and Gajeel wasn't there. Or so she wished. Their eyes met and she suspected her face to be as red as his iris.

Usually the teasing happened when only one of the people concerned –a potential ship- so it would cause no harm to the relationships despite the jokes. When Gajeel wasn't there, Levy could laugh off the running-gags about GaLe, secretly wishing it could be true. She couldn't understand why they did so in presence of Nathaniel. It was already laughable when they match her with Gajeel but, matching her in addition with another guy, that was a bit far-fetched. Levy was a lot of things but a femme fatale wasn't one of them.

"I apologize for my inconsideration, Levy," said the young man, surprisingly not embarrassed by what happened earlier. "I started to believe you had forgotten about me."

The young woman was about to apologize about not showing up on time but apparently he thought necessary to add:

"I waited in the hotel room for you to come for our rendez-vous."

He had spoken loudly enough to be heard by Juvia who was nearby. Levy realized too late. Her heart dropped in anticipation.

"You were to meet in a hotel room? Juvia is shocked!" exclaimed the water-mage.

And, of course, it had to be interpreted in a dirty way. It was too easy… She sighed.

"HOTEL ROOM?" yelled Cana so everyone could hear it clearly. "Daaamn Levy, you've grown into quite the player! You choose them well, you tigress."

Why were they like that... And again, what did she expect? They were all jokesters. Laughter filled the guild every day. It happened that the joke was playfully directed against one person and no one usually minded it. As it was in their fighting spirit, the Fairy Tail's mages didn't like to lose even when it was about who had the last word in a joke or duel of wits. Levy was no exception. She just had a different approach.

"Well...I'm going to ignore that," stated the bluenette, trying to look dignified and unbothered.

"All that blushing makes you look very cute, Levy-chan," added unnecessarily Mira, as a final blow.

However, Mira had always been a fierce opponent. Her calm attitude rarely wavered. The blunette tried to remain composed as well despite feeling Gajeel's eyes on her.

"Seriously, it's not like that."

"Riiiight," said in unison several of her friends, widely smiling.

If Levy could go redder, she was now, for sure. As if it wasn't already enough, everybody present went "aaawww", finding her adorable to be so shy, visibly not seeing they were going too far. Without noticing, her hand was already against the massive door but sudden exhaustion halted her from storming out. She wasn't mad but she had her quota for the day. They knew her overly-patient nature. They knew she wouldn't be angry. She just wished Gajeel hadn't seen her in this embarrassing situation.

On his side, the Iron Dragon Slayer was utterly annoyed by the fact that they all ganged up against the blunette. Even if his heart ached, she had the right to be with whoever she wanted without having to make amends to anyone. Gajeel knew how to get her out of it.

"Hey Shrimp, too short to put up the paper lanterns? Gonna skip your chores?"

The attention was now turned towards the shadowed corner where Gajeel stood nonchalantly, arm crossed. His presence had been mostly forgotten by the others since Nathaniel's arrival. The guild as a mass often acted like a child. At first, they were playing with one toy, but the moment a new shiny toy came along, all their focus was on the second, neglecting the first.

Normally, the red-eyed mage would have welcomed the tranquility. However, this time it was different. The new toy was Shrimp's...potential suitor. He couldn't deny that curiosity took over and made him stay. Besides, he couldn't overlook it now that Shorty was the target. His fool mood had melted away when he saw her enter the hall. Then, his heart stung when she stood next to Prince Charming. He too could picture them as a couple. Now, seeing her uneasy, the Dragon Slayer had to step in, so she could escape from this unwanted scrutiny.

Levy's eyes lightened up when hearing his voice, when feeling he had spoken to help her out. Usually she would have answer back to the comment about her height, but today she would just go with it. She couldn't let that opportunity slip away. It was a way-out. The importance of the festival's preparation would strike the guild back into order. Or so she hoped.

"It's unlike you to run away from your responsibilities," pondered the ever serious Erza.

"It's true I haven't seen any paper lantern outside," agreed Mira. "Where were you going?"

They took the bait. She sighed in relief. Hands on her hips, the barmaid looked more like her mother than her friend. All the attention was refocused on their previous mission. It would give Levy a break. There was still some research to do and so she went with a plausible lie.

"I was going to show him the newly renovated Library of Magnolia, partly because he needed a book. But, I guess he can find it here as well."

Levy could leave Nathaniel with some documents to search through while she quickly got done with the paper lanterns. He knew what they were looking for and all that was left to find was one tiny detail for the counter-spell that would send him back to his world. As much as she felt lucky to have met a fictional character, she was looking forward to completing the mission. She could take time off from the guild.

"Splendid! Have your date here once you've finished with your chores," suggested Mira.

"Also we apologize we might have judged him a bit too eagerly, saying he might be a bad boy that could take advantage of you... Our mistakes~ He seems nice so you have our blessing, said Cana, winking knowingly.

"Juvia doesn't ship them though. Juvia prefers GaLe."

They really never let go... Levy wasn't spiteful but when would come the time she would strike back and tease them even more than what she normally allows herself to. This time, it was Nathaniel who tried to get things straight.

"You are mistaken it's not a..."

"Levy, I'll show you where the lanterns are stored," offered Erza, interrupting Nathaniel's denial.

"It's okay, I know where they are. In the far left of the basement, right? I'll show the library to Nathaniel and I'll go get them."

Nodding in agreement, the red-haired woman then turned around and clapped as to say that everyone needed to get back to their respective chores. They took her silent instruction seriously and scattered, minding now their own business.

"Gajeel, can you help Levy with the ladder?" asked Mira, walking past him. She paused for a moment and smirked back at him. "You'd be sooo nice to help her carrying something soooo heavy."

"She doesn't need me. She's a strong woman."

Despite his assertion, he moved towards the basement to get the said ladder. Levy being strong didn't meant it enjoin Gajeel from being helpful. Levy didn't catch that exchange, too eager to leave the hall and show Nathaniel the library where some progress on the mission could be made.

Levy went quickly over what Nat needed to look for the ritual. She even gave him the book since she knew which one had the missing part of the counter-spell. All her nerdy interest in mythology and folklore legends finally paid off. With the help of her gale-force reading glasses, she browsed efficiently all her books about theories on unknown forms of magic, such as dimensional travels and time/space magic. She found information that offered a way-back to people traveling between dimensions, a theory she laughed off before but now studied with zeal.

To guarantee the success of the spell, it was recommended to do it during an Equinox or a Solstice. A struck of luck since the Festival of Spring was celebrating the spring equinox. The bookworm could make the impossible happen thanks to her weird past-times. Her only doubt was about a crucial plant needed for a potion that the subject was required to drink. The potion had for purpose to provoke a loosening between the subject's atoms in order to facilitate the inter-dimensional trip. She politely asked her client to not wander around and that he waited for her. She didn't doubt that it would take maximum 20 minutes to set the lanterns.

Hurrying to the basement, her eyes caught a high-up mountain of colorful paper-covered lanterns connected to each other by a thread, carried by a pair of muscular arms. Levy recognized them instantly, partly because of the piercings.

"Gajeel?"

"No shit, Detective McMidget," said the giant, walking past her. "There's some left in there. The ladder is already outside."

"Huh?"

He didn't bother to explain further. When he was out of sight, she snapped out of her astonishment. She quickly gathered the remaining lights and caught up with her friend.

Outside was set an outdoor dance floor for later in the evening of the Festival. Despite the spring taken winter's place, a reminiscence of cool air still lingered in the nights which would suit the partygoers that wanted to dance all their might without feeling uneasy by the heat of an overcrowded place. Four poles delineated the dancing area from which cordage was tied at the top, connecting them in a square. That's where the lanterns were meant to be.

Gajeel had placed the ladder under the cable closest to the guild. She thought he would simply leave the items she'd need and then be on his way. However, he said, pointing the ladder:

"I'll hold it and you'll attach the lanterns. I'll pass them on to you. Don't worry, I won't look up."

He avoided eye contact after saying the last part. It was a nice thought to mind the fact that she was wearing a dress and could be embarrassing to accept his help. In defiance of what everyone might think of him, Levy knew that Gajeel was a thoughtful and caring guy. It might be because of his rough appearance but people didn't expect such traits to be part of his character which she found absurd. Maybe others didn't know him like she did. It was their loss, although she fancied herself thinking that she was a special nakama to him, just as he was for her. Hopefully, she wasn't the only one who thought that. The young girl was bothered by the fact that she struggled often to guess what he thought. He was rather indecipherable, most of the time.

"Thank you..." she said, shyly, not knowing what to say besides that. She would never refuse the chance to be in his company.

She got up the ladder with the lanterns thread. They had clips attached to them which made the task ridiculously easy to do. Gajeel carried the ladder along the rope as Levy was clipping the lights. The two mages finished the first cordage meekly.

Usually, the blunette didn't mind the silence but this one was growing heavy. It felt unnatural. Never before had they difficulties talking. Well, before today. Today with the ruckus that had happened, it was difficult to not be in one's own head and over-think some things. Levy wanted –no, needed- to say something. Anything. Yet nothing came to her mind, making her doubt the wittiness of her brain.

"Looking forward to the Festival?" asked the young woman.

"Not especially."

The Dragon Slayer went quiet after his uninviting answer. Having to tame his mind with rationality to quiet down the envy and jealousy he was feeling towards Prince Charming, he felt bad for Levy. He gave a poor answer when she was trying to break the awkwardness. Levy's spirits were down by it. He didn't seem to offer anything more to engage further discussion but he felt her uneasiness even without checking. Therefore, he returned the question:

"You?"

"I don't know if I'll go," confessed Levy.

Not knowing about her mission, Gajeel was surprised by that answer. He would have expected her to be going. With Prince Charming at her arm. Taken aback, he abruptly asked:

"How come? Thought you liked the Festival. And parties, in general."

"Yeah, but for now, I need a break from my friends. I love them but, gosh..." she sighed. Then, she let out a truth, as a reflex to not let die down the conversation. "I would have considered it if you were going."

Her eyes grew wide as she finished her last sentence. Did she just make a mistake and reveal him that she wanted to go with him?

"I don't see why my presence would make it more bearable. I can't prevent them from being annoying."

He didn't seem to have caught on the fact that it kind of sounded like she was asking for a date. Good. She wouldn't get rejected and jeopardize their friendship. It was too precious to risk it, despite her feelings growing stronger. She had to wrap up her mission and deal with the troublesome situation her friends threw her before –seriously- trying to move on and continue to build their friendship. After the tease, it was always tricky to act natural around him. She always hoped he never noticed. So far, this time, she seemed to fall back pretty good.

"Yeah, well having an ally would make it bearable. I had my quota of tease. I'll need some peace for a while."

She got down so he could move the ladder in front of a new cable.

"Hm, I get you."

Down, Gajeel let out a snort which Levy caught on. It carried the memory of the experience. As if he was also often teased. It surprised the blunette and she could help herself to ask while she got up the ladder.

"It happened to you too? I can't imagine what it would be about, though."

The young woman missed on the blush that darkened his tan.

"Nothing you should worry about," he muttered, dismissive. "Those retards have wide imaginations. Someday they will have a taste of their own medicine."

The promising threat made Levy laugh. Gajeel pranking or matchmaking Mirajane and the others would be quite a sight. She wouldn't miss that for all the jewels of Fiore.

"I'd love to assist you on that."

"Despite your tiny body, you have a big brain. You will surely come up with a plan. I'll assist you."

And there came their typical inoffensive quarrels. Despite being happy that their interactions became normal again, she couldn't help herself to not react. She turned, looking down. She couldn't confront Gajeel's mesmerizing red eyes because he was looking at the horizon while holding firmly the bottom of the ladder. Instead, she pouted.

"Heyyyyyy! Stop it with my height, I'm not that short."

"Gihihi, that's only because you're up on the ladder," he teased her.

A smile flashed her lips, amused by his wits that never ceased to increase her fondness of the man.

"Smart ass."

She conceded that one. It was a good call.

"Not as much as you," he replied while they moved to the next cable.

"Haha, was that supposed to be a compliment?" smiled the blunette.

"Maybe."

Again, she couldn't read his expression but sensed that he was dismissive, probably because he didn't have the upper hand in their bickering. Levy wanted to enjoy it some more.

"What an honor!" she joked. "Though, you'd need practice."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. As if he would do the poetic clown to please others. Without verbalizing it, he always expected to get married, settle down and form a family even in his darkest days. He just never thought about the pre-marriage. The courtship. The hardships. The cluelessness. The vulnerability. Being charming had never been his forte and probably never will be. The Dragon Slayer always placed his hopes in the relationships that naturally become a couple, although he seemed to neglect the fact that he wasn't the pleasant kind of guy that could easily befriend people. He groaned:

"Yeah, well. I'm not exactly the player boy type. Nor the prince type. It seems like tricking people into thinking that I'm nice when I'm not. It would be with second-thoughts and that'd be no good."

His way of thinking always fascinated Levy. Those were times when she really wishes she could get to know him more without attracting jokes and insinuations. If they were only the two, people would call it a date. Not that she would mind, but she didn't want to force it or make Gajeel uncomfortable.

"I was kidding. You won't need that because authenticity is the best."

"Right. Authenticity when you have a pretty face, though," he snorted.

"Always so cynical," the young woman chuckled.

"I'd say it's part of my charm, since I don't have the pretty boy face. But I'm not charming either. At least, I'm authentic, am I right?"

He seemed proud of his retort. Levy found it even more difficult to not turn it into a joke. She was having too much fun with him.

"Are you being self-conscious, Gajeel?"

The mockery hit a spot because the young man retorted, defensive.

"What the hell, you talking about, Shrimpy McMidget? Stop putting words in my mouth that I never said. Do I care about something as dumb as my appearance? Hell nah!... Tch."

His outburst made her smile widely, making her forget all her previous worries as if she had none. In her own little bubble, safe and content, she felt secure enough to let out a secret -that wasn't secret. Then, she said out loud a thing she had thought thousands of times.

"Well, I find you handsome."

Thinking he misheard her, the sentence weirdly echoed in Gajeel's head. All at the same time, he assimilated the information, his heart jumped and his muscles had an involuntary impulse. A metallic crushing sound made him realized he pulverized the bottom of the ladder out of incredulity.

His body understood before his mind that there was a danger. The Slayer's ears caught a small squeal above him and the wind sizzling because of the ladder's fall. With a brief squad, he released his flexed legs and jumped to catch Shorty before she completely fell from where she stood. Before he could wrap his arms around her, his forehead hit the corner of the top of the ladder. Even if the shock was strong enough to confuse him for a second, it didn't deflect him from his trajectory.

After Levy got overbalanced by surprise, she hadn't time to fall that she was met by a warm mass that caught her. Her heart still dropped a bit when they landed and then beat furiously against her chest. The blunette mentally checked if some part of her body hurt. It wasn't the case.

She opened her eyes only to face a dark surface, heavy breathing. She laid there, still. Her eyes looked up only to meet a neck and a define jaw. The realization hit her immediately. Gajeel. He caught her before she could hit the ground. His arms were still around her in a protective embrace. A hug with him like she could only dream of. Warm, protective, caring and, despite the hardness of his muscles, soft. Her face kept heating up as the embrace was prolonged, feeling that if it continued any longer she would faint. In a paradoxical way that was frequent when it came to love, Levy was unable –or rather unwilling- to move as she just wanted to enjoy the warmth of his presence so close to her as it would eventually come to an end, sooner than later.

Gajeel had face numerous situation that were nerve-wracking. Yet never had it happen to this extent. His hysterical heart made it hard for his brain to process the whole situation. It was absurd how a simple chore provoked such an unlikely scenario where an accidental hug would occur with the girl he loved unrequitedly. Life must really think he was a fucking joke for doing that. All his nerves were –overly- focused on the single weight snuggling against his chest. He never had relations that occasionally had demonstrations of affection occurring in his past. No one besides Metallicana and Lily. Neither of them was human which made the soft contact so new to him. All his blood was rushing to his face, as he was trying to remain cool about it and failing.

The red Dragon Slayer thought that he should say something. Breaking the silence would break off the awkward moment. Or was it? He found himself not finding it awkward. At all. Shorty neither, apparently, as she remained in his arms, relaxed. Why wasn't she pulling away? Did she not mind the proximity? Not a chance! Then, why…? Gajeel jumped to conclusions. The only plausible explanation. She must have fainted. He wouldn't take advantage of that, it would make him worse than a pervert.

He sat up, for his integrity and for Levy's well-being. Yet the petite woman on him yelped, startled. She fell on her butt, facing Gajeel, his stretched legs flanking her. Their gazes held for a moment before they realized how close they still were. Their rosy cheeks became the color of a red rose blossoming. A faint smile over her full lips captivated his red eyes. Unconsciously, he leaned closer and then paused. He had to respect boundaries. Then why were her big hazelnut eyes were sparkling like stars? It couldn't just be his imagination. She straightened her back, getting slightly closer. Before he could think to close the distance remaining, they were interrupted by a screaming that was coming closer each second. They jumped apart, flushed.

"Levyyyyy-chan! I've been told that you had a date that wasn't Ga...hey Gajeel! ...What happened?"

"We fell," said Levy, not explaining further. She was still a bit shaken by the moment they just had.

"In loooooove," lip-synced Lucy, mischievous.

Thankfully, only Levy got to read her lips as Gajeel was standing and removing some dirt from his pants. Without a look, he said, sarcastic:

"Bunny-girl. As loud as ever."

"And you as grumpy as ever. Some things never change, ya know."

"Tch."

He turned away, wanting to avoid eye contact with both girls. However, it showed a trickle of blood running down the left side of his head. He had a cut on the forehead from the impact.

"Oh no, Gajeel, you're bleeding a bit..." noticed Levy She took off her bandana, freeing her blue curls and pressed it against his injury. "Here, take my bandana as compress. We should get you to the infirmary."

He gently placed his hand over hers to take her improvised compress. They both grew shy while the contact lasted, remembering the event of earlier. He quickly got up and said:

"Don't sweat it. I'll go and bring the supplies here. We won't take chance if your ankle is twisted. Bunny will keep you company."

"Thanks. And sorry."

"Don't be," Gajeel assured her. Then he whispered softly enough not to be hear. "Anything for you, Shorty."

When the man disappeared inside the guild, Lucy reiterated her query.

"Yeah, so as I came back from a small job this afternoon with Natsu and Happy, I heard some strange news from the others. About a mysterious hot date. What about Gajeel? I thought you had that huuuuge crush on him."

Usually she didn't mind gossiping with Lu-chan and actually liked her girl talks with her. Unfortunately, today her friend arrived in an inopportune moment. She couldn't know but still. Yet Levy couldn't bring herself not to tell her best friend the truth.

"All lies," stated Levy, then she rectified, shyly. "Except the part about Gajeel."

"Ouuuuuuuuh."

Lucy was poking her blue-haired friend, playfully. She was always merry when she felt that Levy was being honest and open with her. One poke hit above the blunette's hip which was ticklish area.

"Lu-chan! She yelped, laughing out of that tickle torture. She took a deep breath, trying to be more serious. "Also, something happened."

The blond-haired girl was eager to know. Eyes wide, she waited, jumpily. Remaining somewhat calm always encouraged Levy to talk more than fangirling screams.

"I just told him that I find him handsome. But then I tripped from the ladder, like a dummy. And suddenly, I was in his arms. We hugged for some time. It was nerve-wracking but amazing."

"Awwww, that's my attagirl! Now, you have to tell him. Look how the two of you were blushing messes," beamed Lucy, happy for her friend's romance blossoming. "So what's up with those weird rumors?"

"They're still stuck on about what we said this morning and it just got out of hand. And Gajeel heard. It would be awkward to tell him now...wouldn't it?"

"Oh... Yeah, I guess...I just don't understand why they seemed more...into it than before."

"Yeah...it's complicated. Kind of a long story. I'll try to make it short though. Erm…where do I start…"

As Levy was going to tell Lucy about the unbelievable things that were happening to her since her best friend was the only one that could understand how incredible it was, they were interrupted by Mirajane rushing out of the guild and quickly spotting them. The visibly stressed barmaid was holding a lacrima cellphone in her hand, calling out for Lucy. She seemed slightly relieved to see them, yet her tone was brusque and demanding which was unlike the calm self.

"Lucy! I need you inside. Now."

"Sure..." said the blonde girl, puzzled. "What do you need me for?"

"Something important for the Festival. Now come," Mira demanded. "Sorry, Lev. I need to borrow her for some time. You girls can chit-chat after the Festival, okay? Byyyye~"

The celestial mage was dragged by the white-haired woman, leaving Levy alone sitting on the edge of the newly installed outdoor dance floor. She shrugged that off. Preparations might be off schedule. After all, they wasted a lot of time, fooling around with Nathaniel. The blunette liked to think it was karma striking, requesting payback on her behalf. Her eyes set on the darkening sky, hoping to see the faint light of the stars appearing while waiting for Gajeel to return with the first-aid kit.

Making his way to the infirmary, Gajeel kept the bandana that Levy had ruined for him to soak the blood off his forehead. He had noticed Mirajane running past him. He didn't care and didn't see anything. He was caught up by his own emotions, bubbling inside of him. His heartbeat pumped loudly against his temple. It wasn't because of his small cut but rather because his emotions were all over the place. When he caught Levy from falling, he couldn't shake away the thought or rather the fact that he held her. His skin was still on fire from the contact. And he was still debating on if he imagined the part about her truthfully leaning towards him. It seemed too much. Too much wishful thinking.

He felt silly to be so upside down about such a trivial detail. Yet he couldn't help himself but smile. Internally, of course. Or so he liked to believe. Besides, he couldn't be all over the place over a compliment. He was the mighty Iron Dragon Slayer, feared by many because of his natural mean looks. Yet Levy told him that she found him handsome. Why was his heart seemed to keep growing inside his chest, in the kind of way that made his insides all fuzzy and warm?

It was only a compliment. Girls told their friends such remarks all the time and it didn't meant they were in love with one and another. The cute blunette was just being nice to him, as friends would be. He couldn't let himself go and be even more attached to Levy. He clearly had no chance against Mr. Prince Charming. Although it wasn't forbidden to dream...

He just had to keep it under minimal control so it would grow into something unhealthy such as an obsession. She had the right to be with anyone she liked. Shorty was her own person, of course. Gajeel would never step in and bring her sorrows because he was jealous of the guy she would choose. He cared too much for her well-being to be selfish about his love for her.

As he was getting near the infirmary to disinfect his tiny injury –he had agreed only to oblige Shorty-, he heard Charming's voice in the guild's library. He didn't know why but it stopped him. The guy seemed on the phone. Gajeel leaned a little to have a quick look. Even though, he only saw the guy a few minutes, the Dragon Slayer knew something felt different.

"Whatever you say, boss."

Then, it hit him. He was leaning lazily on the office chair, his feet on the book on the desk. The stance gave off narcissistic attitude. His tone was borderline condescending and, more surprisingly, his fancy accent was gone. His smile had crooked into a self-entitlement-like smirk. The gentleman act had fallen.

"Yeah, everything is going smoothly. I don't think she suspects anything."

The words hit him in his guts. Was it fake? Was he being charming as some part of a sick act? Prince Charming was fooling Shorty. Would she be so stupid, naive to get caught by this player? Could she really? He scolded himself. Everybody fell for it, even himself.

"Well, she's pretty smart. For a moment, I stupidly doubted. But, my charms never let me down. I got her," he said. A pause and then exhaled slightly annoyed. "All is going accordingly to the plan, either way."

Struggling to stay put, he tamed his anger. He had to act. Not on impulse or it would simply end in senseless violence. The Prince Charming could play the victim. No one would then believe him, telling the guy was a fraud. The Dragon Slayer had to think it through. Of course, he was going to come to Shrimp's aid; he just didn't know how. Yet.

All he knew for now was that he would let no one, especially not some douche prince, hurt Shrimp. He loved the girl and wouldn't stand by while some asshole hurt her feelings. Her smile was at risk. He wanted her to be happy. Gajeel swore that he wouldn't let Levy's heart get broken. Ever.


	5. Chapter 5

Habits tend to stick. Yet despite having been a delinquent for a fairly long time – approximately half his life-, Gajeel didn't barge in and rearrange the guy's face with his studded fists. No. That would have been what Phantom Lord Gajeel would have done. It was a time when anytime someone would cross him in any way, it could be as silly as frowning in his general direction, the Iron Dragon Slayer would answer the said provocation with either verbal or physical confrontation and if the bastard was unlucky, with both.

Yet one tiny detail broke the whole pattern. Back then, Gajeel would have never bothered with defending a friend. Selfishness always had solitude as sole companion. Nothing had importance past his own bitter pain, his constant anger and his will to be the strongest. His eyes were fixed on his quest for revenge. Nothing else mattered.

Even when someone was bad-mouthing Juvia, the only person who was nice to him despite his terrible personality, his arms would remain crossed, his mouth shut and his mind wandering elsewhere. The hurt had become an excuse to mistreat everything and everyone. Gajeel had thrown that jerk, who had been such a big part of him for too long, to the trash, where he belonged.

In the wake of his defeat against Fairy Tail, the Dragon Slayer realized that his own foolishness was the reason of his long-lasting pain. He obstinately remained with his aches, as if they were giving him purpose. Only change could give him what he longed for. A goal to reach for, a goal that would canalize all his ill-oriented drive towards something greater than anger. When Master Makarov gave him a hand to reach for, he saw a faint light that promised better days.

Promises never proved their value, his trust was wavering, but nonetheless he took the chance as his dignity refused to endure any longer the toxicity of Jose's ill ways. He realized how petty he had been acting for far too long. His violent display of strength was really just a show to divert the attention from the weakness of his mind.

Gajeel broke free from bitter resentment and ever-lasting anger. He knew he wasn't alone anymore. Salamander was the reason he accept Makarov's invitation, out of curiosity for someone who was like him but he stayed because of Shorty. The unimaginable was possible there. Someone smiled at him without contempt, without mockery, without judgement. She smiled at him, giving him the gift of forgiveness and kindness.

The reason might seem silly –heck it was. Thanks to her, the pain eased and he took a first step to heal. He finally faced his past, head-on, without excuses or half-truths. His horrible actions that he made her endured during the war seemed unforgivable. If she was strong enough that she moved past that, why wouldn't he? Nothing could be changed from the past except his future choices. The reassuring thought made him grow hopeful and courageous than ever. The subconscious self-hate was washed away. Slowly but surely.

They didn't develop a relationship based on help where one would cling on the other to lift oneself up. The friendship between them blossomed, healthy and strong. She was simply the most amazing, unique and beautiful person he met and couldn't get enough of her company, of the sparks in her eyes, of her never-ending anecdotes, of her excitement over stories, of her weird habits she dared to show him, of her easiness when she's with him, of her telling him her truth and listening to his, of the trust they built during our years of friendship. She was the ray of sunshine that made him want to reach the light and chase away his own darkness.

Gajeel wished only the best for Shorty. For everything she deserved the best. One day she would have a beautiful love story. Certainly not with him, but her happiness would outshine his sadly unfulfilled one-sided love and he would be contented with continuing to be her friend without the half-hope, half-insecure anticipation for an unexpected evolution in her feelings.

Yet his realism, not to say pessimism, kept him in check. Despite accepting and confronting his past, Gajeel knew Shorty would meet a guy and fall in love with him, etc. It would hurt for sure, but he had accepted it. In the coming of that day, the Dragon Slayer made himself a promise, an unbreakable vow that would dictate his behavior in the face of this upcoming event.

That he would be the last guy to have hurt Levy McGarden in any way.

Today, the Fake Prince threatened to clash with his oath. He wouldn't allow that. Despite anger boiling inside of him and his itchy fists, he had to think of a plan. Working on his temper had been a difficult challenge, especially now that so-many complex emotions were interfering with his train of thought. One thing was sure. Even if the guy's bad news, she would surely be disappointed if he beat the fake prince. The Iron Dragon Slayer had to be somewhat of a gentleman about his intervention to chase away the undesirable guy. Shorty deserved way better. Not only was he a liar, but he disrespected books. She could never be happy with such a man.

Arg, but how could he even be a gentleman? The idea was ridiculous and that fact hurt him, as it was an additional reason to why Shorty was out of his reach. Perhaps his thoughts were a bit overdramatic, especially on his way of dismissing himself, yet he couldn't help it. As it is said, habits die hard.

Being so immersed in his thoughts, Gajeel didn't notice that Nathaniel was on his way out, still scrolling his lacrima phone, oblivious to his surroundings. Nathaniel half-bumped into him, making him drop the blood-stained bandana. Instinctively, Gajeel gritted his teeth, as his level of annoyance went sky-rock at the sight of the charming mask sliding back onto the guy's face.

"Sorry, there. I hadn't seen you", smiled Nathaniel, before –false- concern flash through his face. "Dear Lord, you are bleeding. Would you like me to fetch the First-Aid Kit and/or someone who has medical expertise?"

He was already walking off to "get help". That guy had some nerve. The door to the library was wide-open. There was no way he couldn't know someone could hear his self-praise to his mysterious boss. Hypocrisy was one of the things he hated the most. His theatrical kindness made him decide to put his cards on the table, showing that he knew.

"I need nor your "assistance", fake-ass prince," said Gajeel, picking up Levy's bandana. I would need to wash that, he thought to himself.

"I beg your pardon?"

The player looked surprised. He was keeping his cards close to his chest, then. It took more to make Gajeel back down. He'll make him spill the truth. With a direct hit. Verbally speaking.

"Beg for mercy instead. I could knock you out for what I just heard about Shorty."

Alright, maybe that approach was a bit of a stretch, as he wouldn't actually hit him –though he would like just to whip out the smirk that appeared on Nathaniel's face. The mask was visible.

"Shorty?" he asked, playing dumb in the cocky way that womanizers do. "Oh, you mean Levy, right? Yeah, you're the guy who's always creeping near her? Eavesdropping and meddling are a common pair in quiproquo. Do not worry. It's between Levy and I."

Starting with the soothing manner of saying her name, passing by the personal attack and finishing with a mocking reprobation, the mask had finally fell off. He didn't look evil by any mean. Simply not trustworthy. He was too handsome and knowing that, he clearly used it to its advantage. His eyes held secret and the corner of his mouth were dripping with sweet lies. His chin was up, underlining his confidence in his charm, showing off the gap between them. It took quite some self-control to not lose it and snap. Quiproquo. One of the fancy words Shorty used and that he learnt from her in the book she lent to him this month. Even knowing its meaning, Gajeel highly doubted that there was a quiproquo here, as it was crystal-clear that he wasn't who he pretended to be.

"Her and the "you" she thinks you are? Or the real you?"

Nathaniel tilted his head, amused. He slowly walked back towards the tall dark mage, an enigmatic smile on his lips.

"What really makes someone who they are? Is it what people think of them? Authenticity is not so frail as to relay solely upon the opinions and ideas of others about oneself. Or is it?"

Finishing his little query, Nathaniel was now standing three inches from Gajeel's face. The mage hated the proximity but stepping back would be like admitting that the guy had the upper-hand in the conversation. Gajeel had to stand his ground. Standing straight and looking dead serious, he warned him:

"Look, I don't care about your philosophical crap. I'm telling you once. Don't screw with Shorty or you'll regret it."

Nathaniel took a step back, giving himself space to snort at what Gajeel had just said.

"How gallant you are for a girl who's only...a guildmate? Though, I assume you hope, or rather you dream, of more. You certainly didn't have the guts to ask for more."

Testing undefined limits was dangerous. Clearly, playing with fire was his plan.

"Shut it, fake Prince, it's none of your business."

"Just as it is none of your business, what's going on between Levy and I. Aren't you a bit possessive for merely a friend? I'd reckon this attitude quite unhealthy."

"Her guildmates –including me- care for her and will get you if you hurt her. Anyone here would do the same as me and would have told you to f*ck off."

"Yeah, but you'd love to play the knight in shining armour, right? It'd make a nice change, wouldn't it? I mean, with that kind of face, it must be kinda hard to swoon a damsel."

Don't answer to that provocation, Gajeel thought while focusing in keeping his breathing slow and steady. He wants you to lose it and appear like the victim. Gajeel wouldn't bear a frightened look from Shorty nor a disappointed one. It would hurt too much.

"She doesn't need me. I'm warning you, that's all. She's smart. She's going to figure you out, for sure, and you'll regret it."

"Even smart girls can make dumb decisions. Love is a light that cast a deep shadow over proper judgement. Though I do have my ways with the ladies, I must admit she makes the game entertaining."

Gajeel straightened his back, now looking down on the womanizer, and glared straight into Nat's eyes, wanting to crush the machoism out of his rotten personality.

"She's not some winning price of a game", he growled.

"Yeah?" asked defiantly Nathaniel, arrogant and not the slightest bit impressed. "Prove me wrong. Who has the right thinking : the charming gentleman or the dumb wanna-be suitor?"

On a strange impulse and before having his brain processed what he was about to say, Gajeel said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"At least, you're self-aware but dumb seems a bit weak to define your intellect."

The not-so-subtle jibe made it clear that Gajeel had reversed the intended descriptions so the insult would slap back Nathaniel. Gajeel was puzzled by the quickness of his answer. All that reading did make him cleverer, after all…

Surprised but amused, Nat snorted and then burst out laughing. He didn't expect the witty comeback. "Good one," he said, starting to walk away. Without so much as a glance, he nonchalantly added: "See you at the ball."

His tone left no doubt that Gajeel would present himself at the Festival, to try to prevent Shorty's heartbreak. Strangely enough, Nathaniel wasn't wrong. Gajeel's resolution had strengthened throughout their conversation.

No fear of ridicule or pretense of disinterest would get in the way this time. For the first time ever, Gajeel Redfox was going to go the ball.


	6. Chapter 6

A puzzled Lucy was being dragged by Mirajane into the guild. The white-haired barmaid was usually so fond of gossips and yet she unexpectedly pulled Lucy out of a girl-talk instead of joining in. Her favorite topic these days was Levy and Gajeel and their frustratingly dense yet adorable flirting. It was such a big fuss right now that a betting poll had been created, hosted by Cana. Lucy wanted to tell Levy-chan about it but she couldn’t really see how it would benefit her to know that her friends were once again going overboard with their tease and games. It would only embarrass her and nothing could possibly undo Cana’s betting business. Levy just had the bad luck of catching their attention this month.  
The only thing Lucy could do out of solidarity was not participating. The blond mage sighed and imagined that Mira wanted to involve her into her scheming. After all, the barmaid had bet that GaLe would be canon, following the Spring Festival, which explained her pushiness this morning and if the new rumors of a new suitor for Levy were true, it would interfere with her bet. Lucy was always impressed by Levy, always being so patient and composed despite having such troublesome guildmates. Maybe the fact that she lived with them since she was a little kid had helped thicken her skin. As for Lucy, it still made her lose her cool when they were being too intense...well, for too long.  
Right now, she was just feeling annoyed. She wanted to know what her best friend was about to tell her. She was about to make some sense out of this baseless rumor about Levy having a “mysterious hot date”. Strangely enough, it connected with something else that had happened earlier. It made her think of their little payback joke about a secret crush to get them off Levy’s back. How strange that a twist of faith had made it seem like their fake secret was actually true. What was up with that new guy, coming out of nowhere? Levy said she wasn’t even interested so why was everyone making a fuss as if something could happen? Yet they should know better, especially with their dumb bet. How could they change their minds so fast?  
“...So long story short, don’t jeopardize anything, okay?”  
Lucy snapped out of her thoughts. She hadn’t realized that Mira was talking to her. She was so engrossed in her own pondering that she had completely disconnected, just like when she’s writing.  
The weighed move would have been to agree and figure out the deal along the rest of the conversation, acting like she wanted some precisions, but being as dumbfounded as Lucy was, she only managed to say:  
“Jeopardize? Who? How? ...Whaaaaaat?”  
Along the way Mirajane had let go of Lucy’s arm. She was now several feet ahead of her blond friend. She turned around. Pinching the bridge of her nose and half-closed eyes, Mira let out a sharp sigh. She then looked up, her eyes being dead-serious.  
“Please, don’t go gossiping with Levy. I’ll explain everything to you after the Festival.”  
This explaining nothing at all, Lucy asked again:  
“What? Why?”  
“Please, just trust me. It’s for the best.”  
“Says the girl who’s visibly scheming something suspicious,” said Lucy.  
Regular thuds resonated on the first floor. Someone was coming their way. Lucy was at the bottom of the stairs and saw a tall guy, coming down. It took her a moment to get a good view of the guy as she had forgotten to put her lenses today. She squeezed her eyes, giving her a suspicious expression. His features finally aligned and before his handsome face, Lucy gaped.  
“Oh. My. God. Nathaniel? I mean, you’re L...?”  
As quickly as the lightening, Mira came back near Lucy and covered her mouth with her hand. She welcomed the newcomer with a nod.  
“Yes, yes, he’s Levy-chan’s new admirer and more than probably current date.”  
Combing back his caramel-coloured hair into an intended neglected hairstyle, a casual gesture that made him look at his best, showing off his sculptured body through the thin fabric of his shirt, he smiled at the girls. His charm was subtle enough to make Lucy wonder if she was just very focused on his handsomeness rather than him straight out showing off. Surprise made her previous train of thoughts derailed and left her astonished and without words.  
“Those are dangerous assumptions, miss, as they do raise my expectations and might end up in broken hopes."  
Louder thuds echoed in the hall and as Gajeel slid down the stairs’ rail, a book in hand, Mira said to Nathaniel, letting go of Lucy:  
“Silly boy. Yes, our sweet Levy has many fans but, unfortunately, no suitor brave enough to actually ask her out.”  
When Gajeel landed both figuratively and literally in the middle of their conversation, Mira nonchalantly acknowledged his presence, as if she hadn’t level a not-so-subtle cutting remark at him: “Oh, hey Gajeel.”  
The Iron Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes, annoyed by the lack of subtly of people, and turned away from her. He held out the book to Nathaniel.  
“Obtuse seems more fitting, don’t you think?”  
Nat tilted back his head and let out an amused snort. Mira, interested, looked both alternatively, as if she was expecting a show and even Lucy thought that there might be a confrontation that could spark between the two men. My, Levy really was popular.  
The elegant man took the book and held his rival’s gaze a second too long, turning the ambiance slightly awkward. Breaking the tensed silence, he thanked Gajeel:  
“Very appreciated. I must admit my thoughts are agreeably filled at the moment and make me forgetful at times. I’ll see you three later. Dear Levy is waiting for me and this book so I should be on my way.”  
Mira briefly waved. He then left behind the three guildmates behind and exited by the backdoor. Gajeel turned back to the girls and apostrophised Lucy, still staring off into space.  
“Oi, Blondie, why did you let Shorty alone? She’s injured.”  
Lucy came back into reality. Maybe she lacked sleep because she couldn’t seem to stay concentrated.  
“N-no, I don’t think so but she’s still waiting for you.”  
“Ok. Still, better safe than sorry. I didn’t find any bandage in the infirmary room. Can one of you tell me where I could find some?”  
“Probably in the backstore of the bar. With all the brawls occurring, we moved the bandage downstairs.”  
Gajeel nodded to the logic of the statement.  
“Also, She-Devil, what’s the address of the girl you talked about last week?”  
Mira came him a knowingly look and smirked. For the blond woman, the Dragon Slayer’s demand came like a slap. She put her hand on Lucy’s shoulder and asked her:  
“Lucy-chan, could you in the meanwhile fetch the bandages for Gajeel?” she asked before turning to Gajeel with a now a smug face on. “So in the end, you grew enough balls to ask.”  
“If nagging is the only thing I’ll get from you, I’ll manage on my own.”  
“No, no, wait!” said Mira. “I have her number somewhere.”  
The barmaid started rummaging in her things behind the bar counter. Lucy couldn’t believe the conversation she was witnessing. There had been a spark between Levy-chan and Gajeel one hour ago. Why ask for some girl’s number all of the sudden? A random girl introduced by Mira, at that. Why would Mira do that? Not only was she crazy for GaLe but she would never go and hurt Levy-chan, whom she viewed as a little sister.  
Then it hit her. Wasn’t there a tension between the two guys over Levy just now? So it made no sense that he’d ask out another girl? Was he trying to make her jealous? That was unlikely but people in love were not known to be rational...  
Then what was Gajeel doing? Did he simply give up because his rival was handsome and posed more serious threat than Levy’s usual suitors? Was it all it took for him to move on? She doubted about that too. She saw how he looked at her blue-haired friend. It was obvious for everyone except for those two dense love struck dorks.  
Then, what the hell was going on? It came in total contradiction to what the gossip-loving barmaid would do. Things made less and less sense to poor Lucy. There was no logical explanation for it. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn’t let Gajeel ruin his life. She had to intervene for Levy’s sake.  
“Gajeel... You can’t be serious. Think about Levy-chan...”  
What Lucy meant was “You can’t be serious about chasing another girl just because of a new rival. Think about Levy-chan and how you two are so obviously in love with one and another.” She didn’t say that word for word, as she considered it wasn’t her right to deliver her best friend’s feelings to him in her stance.  
However, if she hadn’t let such nuance or details interfere and prevent her from clearly verbalizing her concerns, Gajeel wouldn’t have understood it as “You can’t be serious about interfering. Think about Levy-chan and step down. She has finally found someone worthy of her.” He thought it meant that since he was often quite hard on himself and, therefore, always saw the meaning that would try to keep him away from the girl he liked but didn’t think he “deserved”. He had a plan. Well, kind of. Either way, he wasn’t going to stand by and watch Levy get heartbroken.  
Unfortunately, communication is tricky. Words are mysterious spells that never have quite the same effect each time they’re casted, as the aura of nuance blurs their true shape. Besides, many things can and are left untold. In this confusing maelstrom, interpretation catches what it can. Quiproquos can be frown upon in books but emotions too often get in the way and there’s little to do about it but to accept it and move on forward. Even here, the reader can struggle to see who misinterpretate first and who has left too much unsaid. All he or she can see are Gajeel and Lucy getting more entangled in a vast quiproquo as he interrupted curtly her:  
“Stay out of my business. I know what I’m doing.”  
Once again, if Gajeel wasn’t so econome about his words, maybe would Lucy have caught that he wasn’t meaning that he knew that it would hurt Levy if he was seen with another girl, but rather that he had a plan to keep her away from an untrustworthy guy. Lucy was no mind reader and was taken aback by what she considered a douchebag attitude. She wanted to express her indignation but before she could do so, Mira, having found the number but seeing that Lucy hadn’t done her “part”, reminded the girl of the query. Reluctant, the blond-haired woman went to the backstore, not without glaring the Iron Dragon Slayer beforehand. Lucy wasn’t done, but neither did Gajeel know or care about it. Once she was out of sight, Mira said, a bit too mischievously:  
“I’m sure you will be happy to have reconsidered this.”  
Outlining his actions’ course in his head, Gajeel absentmindedly brushed off her statement with his hand, as if her voice disturbed the making of his “carefully crafted” plan. Not the least offended, she held out the paper on which the number was scribbled on. He took it and gave her a vague “thanks”. He didn’t notice the enigmatic and yet seemingly satisfied smile that Mira wore. It would have rose questions but he was already pulling his lacrima phone from his pocket and dialing the number. After a brief exchange, a meeting was arranged and he hung up. At the same time, Lucy was coming back with disinfectant and bandages. In a hurry, he snatched them, thanked again and left, not seeing the displeased blond-haired woman and not hearing the start of a rant that begun as such: “Is he for real? Is he letting himself get discouraged and give up simply because Levy now has a famous suitor? ...”  
Not only was his vision in tunnel mode, but all his senses. Gajeel didn’t even acknowledge Nathaniel passing by with a ladder in his hand nor did he notice the guy’s amused look.  
Levy was sitting on the outside stage, legs stretched and eyes looking up at the starry sky. Visibly daydreaming, she seemed peaceful. Imperceptibly, Gajeel had slowed down, not wanting to disturb her pensiveness. He often saw her like that, lost in her mind, a book resting on her legs. Her beauty was highlighted in her stillness and he could have starred at her for hours. Unfortunately, that would be out of line. Still he was absorbed by the view of her and didn’t see the leveling of the stage and therefore tripped on it. The stud and the brief curse startled the petite mage. Gajeel would have slapped himself. Such a foolish entrance. Way to look cool in front of her, metalhead, scolded mentally Gajeel about his unusual clumsiness.  
Levy stood up in a swift move and hurried to his side.  
“Are you alright? Are you dizzy from your injury?” she asked.  
Before he could brush off her concerns, she gently took his face between her hands and pulled it closer, examining him, or rather the little injury he had on the forehead. He held his breath, bewildered by the sudden closeness. He felt his face heat-up and his heart beating furiously against his ribcage. She brushed his hair off his forehead. All he could feel was the softness of her hands on his face and all he could see was her cherry red lips. Feeling conscious about his behavior, he freed his head, looking away. Here again, misinterpretation made his way and did his thing.  
Realizing how bold and, in this case, invasive she had been, Levy agitated her hands and apologized profusely. He grasped why she was suddenly nervous and didn’t know how to make her understand that he hadn’t been annoyed or displeased, but rather because he didn’t want her to see him as a blushing mess, without confessing clearly his feelings. Embarrassed by her distress, he said with his natural tact:  
“Why the hell you apologize for?”  
“I-I didn’t mean to get in your personal space. Sorry…”  
The message hadn’t come across her. He re-tried.  
“Don’t overthink it, Shorty. It takes more than a scratch to knock me down.”  
“B-but I could have sworn you had a fever. You were burning up.”  
Obviously, he couldn’t say that it was because of her closeness that his heart nearly burst out of his chest. He chose a different explanation.  
“I’m naturally hot.”  
And...that didn’t come out as he intended.  
If he said one more stupidity, he swore he would punch a hole in the wall with his good-for-nothing head of his. Levy looked at him, bemused, and her features softened with a fond smile. She held back her nod of approval. Too much boldness in one day wouldn’t make any good for her over-thinking brain.  
“Your ankle seems fine,” added quickly Gajeel, changing subject, wanting to divert the attention from the fool he made out of himself.  
Startled because lost in her thoughts, Levy looked down on her own legs; as if she wanted to confirm what he had just implied.  
“Ah, yes. Sorry, you went for nothing to the infirmary.”  
“No problem. It was my fault in the first place. Knocking that stupid ladder, I mean,” Gajeel felt the need to clarify.  
A long silence followed. They just stood there, looking at each other. It wasn’t awkward but a certain anticipation hung in the air. Each one was unconsciously waiting for the other to comment on it, to take a step forward, to offer a sign, an encouragement. From an outside perspective, they seemed to look lovingly at each other.  
Suddenly, a flash of realization came across Gajeel’s face, pulling him back into reality.  
“Gotta go, but glad you ain’t hurt. Good night!”  
“Oh…” she whispered before speaking up, masking her faint disappointment. “Yeah. Good night. See you tomorrow…?”  
Her farewell had shifted into a question. They usually saw each other at the guild, practically every day, but tomorrow was Spring Festival. And the ball. It was known that Gajeel liked neither. Levy didn’t have high expectations but their recent conversation made her wonder nonetheless. Was he going to turn up tomorrow after all? The Dragon Slayer had already jogged a few meters but turned around and jogged backwards. Being farther gave him a bit of courage and he said:  
“Yeah. Look forward to it, because you’re up for a surprise.”  
He faintly smirked, said goodbye again and went on running to wherever he needed to go. A surprise? If she wasn’t waiting for Nathaniel back, Levy would have run after him. She didn’t like to be kept in the dark even if it was well-intentioned. When he was out of sight, she already had come up with 23 different possibilities of what this “surprise” could be. Most of them were wild hopes and she chased them away. Her overly-fed imagination was a double-edged sword. She wondered if she would manage to sleep tonight… Damn, why had he said that just as he was leaving? She had to come back at him. What a tease! But just for an evening, she could let herself believe that he was coming to the ball and that maybe they could dance together…  
Her gaze up in the stars and her guards down, Levy didn’t feel the presence creep behind her until a blade was pressed against her throat and an arm firmly immobilizing her. The bluenette tensed. She couldn’t see the features of her assaulter as a large hood hid her, but the body pressed against her back was indubitably female.  
“I’m warning you once. I’ve been following you for a week now, so don’t try denying it. I know. I saw how you look at him and how you long for him. But, he’s mine. Stay away from the man I love or else your friend might have an... accident,” hissed the hooded woman.  
Levy had waited for her assaulter to divulge her intentions or motives before knocking her down. Her body moved on its own accord, remembering the self-defense moves it had so often practiced. First, she lifted slightly her stronger leg, the right one, for a momentum and, with her heel, struck the toes. The woman cursed, but as she let go of Levy, she pushed her on the ground. A good reflex, because the bluenette’s next hit was in her stomach with the elbow. Though she doubted that the hooded woman wanted to kidnap her, she couldn’t let get away. Quickly, she was back on her feet, but the woman had already vanished. Her eyes darted in all directions, ready to defense herself at any given moment. She was really gone. But how did she do? Either her magic had to do with speed, with teleportation or even with illusions.  
Adrenaline had rushed through her veins but was now slowly fading away. Her breath were shaky as well as her legs. She dropped on the ground. It wasn’t the first time she got attacked. Being a mage (plus, being part of Fairy Tail) wasn’t a walk in the park. It was dangerous but she was fit and ready to fight since she was 10 years old, each passing year having improved her fighting skills, even if she could never surpass some of her guildmates.  
However, the reason was not work-related. It was personal and it horrified her. It had to do with Gajeel. A girl had threatened Levy over Gajeel and even wanted to involve Nathaniel into this. A girl she never heard about before. A girl that seemed possessive, jealous and seriously dangerous.  
The girl had followed her a whole week and she hadn’t notice. Not only was it a scary thought, but it was also foolish, as a Fairy Tail mage, to not be more alert. She knew there was currently a stalking problem in Magnolia and should have act accordingly.  
Wait. What if this incident was linked with what just happened? She should investigate. But, now she had less than 10 hours before the day in which she must complete the mission with Nathaniel, do the daily chores at the guild, help with the preparation for the Festival and the ball she was not ready for and Gajeel’s surprise...  
Wait...Was his surprise...this girl and the fact that they are or will be together?  
Had she missed on something, because what the hell was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this new chapter! I had fun to go with a different approach:D  
> There are still at least 2 chapters to go!  
> (I'm still figuring out how to paragraph on AO3 for it to look alright. If it looks awkward and/or if you have a tip, don't hesitate to PM me:))  
> I still do not own FT~


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